Discussion 1QuestionWhy is it important for HR management to.docx
RM_TalkTheTalk_Whitepaper_lo
1. Talk The Talk: How Ongoing
Career Conversations Drive
Business Success
Increase Employee Engagement And Performance By Embedding
Ongoing Career Conversations Into Your Organizational Culture
2. The Right Management Global Career
Conversation Study was conducted
November-December 2015 to
develop a deeper understanding
of employee’s perceptions about
managing their careers across
geographic regions, gender and
age groups. Our 4,402 respondents
represented 15 countries (Australia,
Canada, China, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico,
New Zealand, South Africa, Spain,
Switzerland, United Kingdom and
United States) and ranged in age
from 25 to 55. We surveyed both
individual contributors and managers
on the following areas: What are the
most important questions employees
have about their careers? How
do employees feel about the way
they are being developed? Who
do employees speak to for career
advice? In what ways do development
and high quality Career Conversations
translate into important individual and
organizational outcomes?
ABOUT THE
RESEARCH
2 Talk The Talk
3. How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success 3
Challenge
It’s clear that converging economic, technological, and demographic changes are creating
talent challenges for organizations, for managers and for individual employees. Skilled
individuals, particularly those in short supply, have greater leverage to
dictate terms of employment to their potential employers—how, where
and when they want to work. They are trading employer-created job stability and traditional
corporate pathways for an opportunity to chart and manage careers on their own terms,
designing a “Career for Me.” In fact, 89% of respondents in a recent Right Management
survey said “they are or need to be responsible for the development of their career.”1
As
employees take greater control, they consistently report that they expect
to move to other companies for growth and advancement
opportunities to increase their value to future employers.2
In this new environment of
individually owned career management, an employer can participate in, influence, and gain
value from an employee’s career journey but they cannot control it.
So, how does an organization engage such an employee while meeting its own business
objectives and goals? And, how does an organization manage employees who do not
recognize their responsibility to maintain relevant skills, still believing they can keep doing
what they have always done regardless of changing expectations, technologies and roles.
The answer lies in reinventing the “Career Conversation.”
Our research shows that a full two-thirds of individual performance
drivers are tied to Career Conversations, making it the most important
people process in an organizational culture that embraces career development.3
OVERVIEW
89%
of employees believe they are or need to be
responsible for the development of their career.
2/3of individual
performance drivers
are tied to Career Conversations
1
Right Management, Global Career Conversation Study, 2016 2 & 3
Right Management, Australia Career Study, 2012
4. 4 Talk The Talk
Right Management’s View
Talent has become the most important competitive differentiator
for organizations today. Creating a culture that encourages career
management will help an organization attract, engage and
retain the brightest talent, while also encouraging all
employees to take charge of their careers. While meaningful work
connects employees to an organization and its success, it is not enough.
To foster deeper engagement and productivity, that work
has to be embedded in a culture that invests in employees’ careers,
enables informed career decisions, and demands individual accountability
for career growth. This requires organizations to actively
facilitate a learning journey designed to help employees
develop new capabilities and knowledge while providing longer term
career growth opportunities.
While Career Conversations are useful for all employees, two groups in
particular will derive great benefit from this process. The first is comprised
of your “stars”— top performers, high potentials, and those with in-
demand skills in critical roles. Having candid career discussions with
talented individuals acknowledges their value to the organization and
helps to establish their personal aspirations. While the temptation may be
to shy away from such discussions for fear of stoking employee desires
for “greener pastures,” Career Conversations are actually an effective
strategic approach to engaging and retaining top performers.
The second group primed for Career Conversations are employees whose
skills are in lower demand and higher supply. As the world of
work changes, job requirements are changing
as well. Every organization today must manage a subset of their
workforce whose skills are becoming obsolete and job prospects –
both within and outside the company – are slipping way. A Career
Conversation is a valuable platform to raise such
issues within the context of the employee’s immediate and long-term
prospects. It can be a valuable, and welcome, wake-up call for individuals
who either fail to see or cannot face their increasingly precarious
employment prospects.
Done well, the Career Conversation provides the perfect opportunity
to align employee’s motivations and aspirations with the organization’s
need to remain agile, adaptable, and responsive to a complex and
evolving marketplace.
The Career Conversation is not a single
conversation. It is a series of conversations
designed to help answer the questions
employees most care about:
Who am I? How do I fit?
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N
S
WE
S
W
YES
What is expected of me?
What and how should I develop?
How am I doing?
How will my talents and
contributions be recognized?
What’s next for me?
?
5. How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success 5
To Engage Me, Talk To Me About My Career
It is clear that the most important action employers can take to engage talent and
improve individual and organizational performance is to help create and facilitate the
employee’s career journey, whether this is ultimately within or outside the organization.
Empowering an employee to become more proactive
in crafting the next steps of their career fosters more
than just engagement. Respondents in a recent Right Management
survey report that regular Career Conversations would make them more likely to
engage with their work, share ideas, and look for career growth and longevity in
their current organization. Such conversations, they say, would help them align their
aspirations with organizational goals and plan accordingly.4
82%
I would be more engaged
with the work that I do
78%
I would be more likely
to share my ideas
76%
I would be more likely
to look for opportunities
for career growth at my
current employer
75%
I would be more likely
to stay with my current
employer
Companies that embed the Career Conversation
process into their organizational culture will benefit as
well. Employee engagement will increase, translating
into heightened individual and organizational
performance. Productivity rates are likely to rise. It will become easier to retain
key talent. The process will help reshape the workforce so the company has the right
skills in place to meet evolving market and business imperatives. Lateral mobility will
increase as employees are empowered to discover opportunities in different areas of
the organization, resulting in a more agile workforce and a keener competitive edge.
If Career Conversations Were More Regular...
4
Right Management, Global Career Conversation Study, 2016
6. 6 Talk The Talk
Most employees want to advance their careers. For some, progress will mean moving
upwards for more interesting work and greater responsibilities. For others, it may
mean moving across organizational boundaries into new experiences and roles. As
individuals seek to develop their capabilities in meaningful
ways, Career Conversations become the cornerstone in a
self-managed career.
Unfortunately, many organizations have downplayed the idea of Career Conversations
due to managers’ lack of skills and/or fear of talking about career progression with
employees. In fact, only 16% of employees say they have ongoing conversations with
their managers about their career.5
The main reason that Career Conversations are not
occurring more frequently is because most managers will do anything to avoid them.
Here are the most common reasons for this trend:
In a career culture, the individual, the manager, and the organization are all accountable:
the individual for ongoing skills development; the manager for providing career
guidance and growth opportunities; and the organization for communicating purpose
and strategy in ways that resonate with all stakeholders. A Career Conversation is
where those accountabilities intersect and where the transparency and authenticity of
all involved—individual, manager, and company leadership—determine the outcome.
Organizations that ignore the need to address the career
development needs of their employees do so at their
own peril.
The Career Conversation
ONLY 16% OF EMPLOYEES INDICATE THAT THEY
HAVE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH
THEIR MANAGERS ABOUT THEIR CAREER.
1.
2.
3.
Many managers believe that Career Conversations will lead to expectations they
cannot satisfy and will inevitably cost money in terms of employees looking for a
promotion. They don’t realize that many employees simply want to grow in their
current role and be given an opportunity to move laterally.
Most managers have never been given training to support employees’ career
development
Most do not understand the cost-benefit imperative of having such conversations,
and are not incented or held accountable for initiating them.
Main Reasons Most Managers Avoid Career Conversations
5
Right Management, Global Career Conversation Study, 2016
7. How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success 7
Organizations and in particular direct managers, often assume that a little “career talk”
can be dropped into a performance review process and that is sufficient for facilitating
critical Career Conversations between a manager and employee. But when asked, the
majority of employees are looking for more information and
advice about a wide range of topics related to navigating a Career for Me.
The Career Conversation should answer the questions employees care about most
in order to facilitate thinking about their personal career journey. For employees, it is
more than a simple “add-on” to the performance management process; it is a set
of conversations designed to guide the future of their
working life. For that reason organizations need to give the Career Conversation
as much time and attention as employees do. More than ever, we need a
new model for addressing the career needs of employees
as a way of ensuring organizational, manager and
individual goals are met.
Currently receive
often enough
Currently receive but would
like to have more often
Do not currently receive
but would like to
Do not currently receive
and do not need to
Navigating A Career For Me
An assessment
of my skills
39%
36%
20%
5%
A conversation about how
I could develop my skills
41%
29%
24%
6%
A conversation about
my performance
40%
39%
17%
4%
A conversation about how
my skills and contributions
are recognized
40%
30% 26%
4%
A conversation about
my career goals
40%
29%
24%
7%
A conversation
about opportunities
for career growth
41%
26%
27%
6%
8. 8 Talk The Talk
What Is Expected Of Me?
Who Am I? How Do I Fit?
A Purposeful Career Conversation Process Is Designed To Address
Employee Career Development Needs
Self-discovery is an important first step in a self-managed career. This first
conversation is designed to help the employee clarify
their career goals, and their match with values,
motivations and abilities. This discovery phase is designed to
help the employee to identify personal strengths and development needs, to
understand how others’ perceive them, and clarify the success factors needed to
achieve their career goals.
These along with insights gained from a conversation about expectations form the
basis for a discussion about development.
Employees want clear goals that are achievable and developmental. The
organization, in turn, wants to assure that employee goals are aligned with the
current and future needs of the business.
Using SMART goals, a manager can clarify the work that needs to get done
within a specified period of time. This conversation is also an opportunity to confirm
hidden capabilities that could be leveraged in new and different ways.
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SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ACHIEVABLE RELEVANT TIME-BOUND
What am I
responsible for?
Is it worth while...
does it meet
business needs,
fit my role and
enable my
development?
Linked to a time frame.How will I be
assessed?
Challenging but
attainable.
9. How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success 9
What And How Should I Develop?
When talking about development, there are three perspectives that help to shape this
conversation for employees.
Skills and knowledge required for effective performance in the
current role. The insights that feed this conversation flow naturally
from a conversation about “what is expected of me.” Most development
conversations focus on “what” is required for present performance needs.
Discussing “how” is the bridge to effective action. A proven methodology
for skills development is Right Management’s 50/25/25 guideline:
For sustained behavior change, employees learn best when 50% is
experiential (on-the-job tasks, stretch projects, job rotations), 25% is
through exposure (feedback, role models, mentoring, coaching), and 25%
is gained through education (instructor-led courses, e-learning, self-study).
The other essential is measurement—measuring the impact on individual
and organizational performance.
Skills and knowledge required for a future role. This is an equally
important perspective on development. Leveraging insights gained through
the self-discovery process, employees can begin to explore the types of
future roles that might be right for them. It’s the first step in imagining
“what’s next?”
Skills and knowledge required to remain employable.
For some employees, career development—whether within the current
organization or in another company—will require a retooling of their skills
and reimagining of their functional role. The Career Conversation can be the
first step in laying out a developmental pathway that will help them adjust to
new market conditions and acquire the skills to transition to a new role.
N
S
WE
S
W
1.
2.
3.
EXPERIENCE
• On-the-job tasks
• Stretch projects/opportunities
• Job rotations and transfers
EXPOSURE
• Role Models
• Feedback (Career Conversation)
• Visibility Opportunities
• Mentoring & Coaching
50% 25%
EDUCATION
• Instructor-led Courses
• E-learning Programs
• Self-guided
25% EFFECTIVENESS
PROGRAM IMPACT
• On-the-job tasks
• Stretch projects/opportunities
• Job rotations and transfers
10. 10 Talk The Talk
How Am I Doing?
The question “How am I doing?” is handled optimally through an ongoing
conversation about development between manager
and employee. This may involve a variety of other people (e.g., peers, other
managers, internal clients and/or customers) who are well positioned to observe
behavior and provide feedback at the moment of need.
In contrast, the “How did I do?” conversation is an evaluation conversation and is
typically answered as part of a formal performance management process.
YES
How Will My Talents And Contributions
Be Recognized?
“How will I be recognized?” often becomes an awkward conversation
about money.
In reality, this conversation is designed to discover two very important insights.
First it is an opportunity for meaningful dialogue
about what intrinsic motivations engage the
employee, and how those might change over time.
Knowing this, a manager can create a customized approach to motivate each
employee, encourage and develop their capabilities and help them gain broader
organization awareness.
In our experience, the concept of Personal Branding can play a critical role in
furthering the employee’s recognition within the organization. A Personal Brand
can be conveyed with a concise statement that communicates who the employee
is and what he or she has to offer. Building a Personal Brand, sharing it with
managers and colleagues for feedback, and leveraging it to demonstrate value
to the company are key to navigating a career effectively. A Personal Brand also
telegraphs the employee’s career intentions and expectations to managers and to
the organization as a whole, and thus can serve as a litmus test for the long-term
viability of the relationship.
11. How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success 11
What’s Next For Me?
“What’s next?” is a collaborative conversation between
the employee, his or her manager, and the broader
organization. The conversation starts by creating a shared understanding
of the business landscape. Acting as a coach, managers can then facilitate a
process to help employees imagine and explore paths through the organization
that will enable them to fulfill their career goals, and identify the first steps in the
process to get there.
IN THIS WAY, ORGANIZATIONS BECOME
ALLIES WITH THEIR EMPLOYEES
IN RECOGNIZING THE FULL SCOPE OF
EACH INDIVIDUAL’S KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS,
ABILITIES, EXPERIENCES, TRAINING AND
INTERESTS AND IN DEFINING A CAREER THAT
BENEFITS BOTH THE ORGANIZATION
AND THE INDIVIDUAL.
+ + What’s Next
For Me?=
12. 12 Talk The Talk
THE SUCCESS OF A CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
IS HEAVILY WEIGHTED ON THE BEHAVIOR OF
THE DIRECT MANAGER.
Sources Of Career Advice
Employees tell us that they talk with a wide range of people for help in managing
their careers. No one individual possesses all of the information required to navigate
the future; each will have a very different perspective on the world of work. From an
organizational perspective it’s valuable to understand the sources employees are
using as part of their “Career For Me” network.
Our research reveals that the most important sources of career
advice for employees are direct managers and work
colleagues as well as family and friends.6
The leading source of career
assistance is the direct manager. Not a surprise, given that 59% of employees
surveyed believe that their manager is responsible for helping them achieve their
career goals inside the organization.7
This underscores the importance of equipping
managers with the skills and tools that enable them to act as effective coaches in
the Career Conversation process. Furthermore, we need to recognize that family and
friends continue to play a very powerful role in this process, offering career advice
and networking. Engaging employees in a series of high quality conversations on
an ongoing basis is a powerful way to understand all of the elements, including the
external influences that impact employee career decisions.
Direct Manager
Human Resource Staff
Work Colleagues
Internal Mentor
Family and Friends
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Career
Advice
Mentoring
Learning &
Development
Exposure
to Job
Opportunities
X
X
X
Networking
In What Ways Do These Individuals Help You With Your Career Development?
According to our research, these are the key sources individuals seek out for career assistance,
development and guidance.
6 & 7
Right Management, Global Career Conversation Study, 2016
13. How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success 13
What Do Employees Need?
While the primary ownership for career development rests
squarely with the employee, only 30% of managers and
individual contributors feel confident in their ability to start
the Career Conversation process. It’s no surprise that 53%
of all employees surveyed would like to receive training.8
With the success of a career development process heavily
weighted on the behavior of the direct manager, we believe
it is important to train both managers
and employees and provide a rich array of support
resources and tools. While over half of the employees
surveyed have access to skills assessments, few
organizations provide a robust set of development tools.
A majority of both managers and individual contributors
surveyed indicate they do not have these critical resources:
• Development plans and programs
• Skill-building experiences
• Mentoring and coaching
• Networking opportunities
30%
Feel confident
starting the Career
Conversation
53%
Employees that would
like to receive training
on starting the
Career Conversation
To Help With Development Does Your Employer Provide The Following?
A formal assessment of my strengths and development needs
Project based work assignments
New work experiences
Technical skill development programs
A career development plan
Contact with senior leaders in the organization
Networking opportunities
A career path or map which outlines career alternatives
Access to a coach
Formal mentoring programs
Formal mentoring programs with peers
55%
47%
38%
38%
37%
37%
34%
30%
29%
29%
27%
8
Right Management, Global Career Conversation Study, 2016
Without basic skills and tools, how can we expect managers to champion the organization’s most
important people process?
14. 14 Talk The Talk
How Should Human Resources Evolve to Provide Greater Value
Viewing them simply as “process developers, benefits and payroll,” employers and
employees alike often underestimate the value human resources
(HR) professionals can bring to the Career Conversation process. Like our
survey respondents, most employees see HR as the go-to partner for learning and
development support. As capability builders, HR also can materially impact the quality
of the Career Conversation process by training managers how to conduct meaningful,
productive, and sometimes courageous Career Conversations and by training
employees on how to manage their own career development. As hands-on business
partners, HR professionals are often in a position to offer broad insights on opportunities
for career development as well as how to navigate the politics of the organization.
For several years, a multinational manufacturer of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer packaged goods
received negative feedback on engagement surveys around career development and advancement opportunities.
Challenge: How To Get Serious About Career Development
CASE STUDY
Right Management implemented a Career Directions program customized to the organization’s business and talent
strategy. Managers were trained how to have ongoing Career Conversations with their reports and show them how
to take greater control of their career direction. Employees were given an online portal to:
• Access one-on-one coaching
• Uncover their career goals and motivations, and create an action plan for development
• Develop a personal brand and create professional resumés
• Hone their job interview skills with virtual interviewing simulations via video
Solution: Practical Assistance For Employees And Managers
Results
• Participation has doubled year over year
• The program has expanded to more global locations and business units
• Participants are leveraging the support to foster Career Conversations and identify internal opportunities for growth
Human Resources As Capability Builders
I just received a major promotion to a senior management position.
Without help in identifying and effectively communicating my key
strengths, I don’t feel I would have been able to advance to this
type of position. -Career Directions program participant
15. IS YOUR ORGANIZATION COMMITTED
TO EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT?
• Do the leaders in your organization actively support a “Culture of Career Management”?
What examples can you point to that illustrate an organizational commitment to development?
• Do you have a robust Career Conversation process? What new practices do you need to develop?
• How have you prepared your employees to initiate the Career Conversation process with their managers?
• How have you prepared your leaders to facilitate ongoing Career Conversations with their employees?
• How do you hold leaders accountable for facilitating employee development?
• What resources and tools do you offer to support employee development?
Does your organization need to expand these tools, and broaden access to them?
• What learning opportunities do you offer employees at all capability levels to accelerate their growth?
• Are there opportunities to expand the role of Human Resources and senior leaders in the Career Conversation
process as a way to underscore the importance of long term career development inside your organization?
How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success 15
Driving A Culture Of Individual And
Organizational Success
A Culture of Career Management is a philosophy for ongoing development that affects every aspect of
the workplace, from the talent hired to how they are developed and managed. The single most
important step in building that culture is developing a robust Career
Conversation process.
A Culture Of Career Demands Active Participation From All Parties:
1. Individuals: Using SMART Goals as a guide, Individuals must play an active role initiating and
driving ongoing Career Conversations with their manager.
2. Managers: The conduit between the organization and the employee, Managers are accountable
for articulating organizational purpose and performance goals back to their team.
3. Organizations: To ensure sustainable business performance, Organizations must commit
to the Career Conversation process; embedding it into the culture and holding all parties
accountable for participating.
Ultimately, organizations benefit when employees are equipped to take on new challenges and
opportunities. We know that optimizing human potential is the most
critical determinant of future business success and growth. In today’s
Human Age, the organization succeeds by helping the individual succeed.
IN CONCLUSION
